Light and Shadow
by yoursxforever
Summary: When Nora is first taken to the Mikaelson mansion, she thinks she's going to be a maid. She's in for a surprise when Klaus actually takes her on as his new protégée. What happens when she grows considerably closer to one of Klaus' siblings, much to his dismay, and she gets presented with an ultimatum? [Klaus/OC/Kol]


I could feel my heart beating in my throat, and I silently wished I could calm myself. My cheeks were wet with tears, the salty taste entering my mouth as the drops rolled down my skin, over my lips. I knew he could hear me. How could he not? My heart was beating too damn loud, but I couldn't get my fear under control.

I was going to die. I couldn't defend myself, not against him. This was going to be the end. All the hope I had gotten for the future, I couldn't even feel lit slip away anymore. It was already gone.

I heard my bedroom door open and I had to press my hands against my mouth and nose so I wouldn't make a sound. I stood frozen, hoping for a little bit more time that I knew I wouldn't get. I heard his footsteps approach me, a soft, menacing laugh erupting from the man's mouth. It made the hairs on my neck stand up and sent an unpleasant shiver down my back.

The doors of the closet I had been hiding in were opened and I could see his face; twisted and wicked, smiling down at me with a crazy look in his eyes.

''There you are.''

* * *

_8 Months earlier_

''And who do we have here?''

I kept my eyes down, not daring to look up into his eyes. I had heard enough about Niklaus Mikaelson to know better than to let my curiosity get the better of me. He sounded surprisingly gentle given the many horrifying stories that existed about him.

''Her name is Nora, my Lord.''

I could feel his eyes on me and I had a hard time standing still. I wanted to wrap my arms around myself, as a way of comforting myself, but I knew better than to try that. I held my breath when I saw his hand going to my face, but all he did was place a finger under my chin and gently lifting my face, which was when I allowed myself to look up at him. For a moment I didn't remember why I was so afraid of him. He looked normal, aside from the fact that his features were rather handsome, and looked nothing like a merciless killer. But when I looked into his eyes, I saw something different. He was cold and unforgiving. Dangerous.

''Pretty, isn't she, my Lord?''

A small smile formed on the Mikaelson's lips, and he dropped his hand. I averted my eyes to the floor again.

''That she is. Leave us.''

An unpleasant feeling settled in my stomach as the man who had brought me here immediately left the room. I was left alone with the man everyone whispered about, not even daring to speak loudly about him, out of fear.

''Tell me, can you read?'' he asked after a few moments of silence, surprising me.

''N-No, my Lord,'' I said, my voice cracking a little.

''Can you play any instruments?''

''No, my Lord,'' I told him again, my heart sinking with each question. I was becoming more and more useless with every thing he asked me.

''Hmm… is there anything you _can_ do?'' His voice didn't sound annoyed, merely inquiring.

''I know how to cook and sow,'' I told him, hoping these skills would at least keep me alive. It was quiet for a while, I assumed he was thinking about what to do with me, when he walked towards the exit of the room.

''Follow me,'' he said, walking out, and I quickly walked after him. I stayed a couple of steps behind him as he lead me into the hall where I had first stepped into the enormous mansion. Had I not been walking into a house that I knew was going to be the place where I was going to die, I might have marveled at the beauty of it. But I was too preoccupied to think about such superficial things.

I followed him up the grand staircase in the entrance hall, trailing behind him as he lead me into a corridor. He stopped at one of the doors and entered the room. I walked in after him and looked around. It was a bedroom. Humble, I would imagine in a place like this, but bigger and more exquisite than any bedroom I had ever seen before.

''You will be staying here. One of the maids will come by later for measurements. Do as she asks. You will be dining with me and my family tonight,'' he told me, surprising me. Dining with them? Why on earth would he want me to do that?

He left before I could think about it even more, and I looked around the room. It looked stunning, everything way too expensive for me to even afford, that was for sure. I walked around, taking everything in. I touched the sheets on the bed, which were soft and smooth. I had to resist the urge to jump in bed and just sleep, because I doubt that I was allowed to do that right now. I couldn't believe that this was supposed to be my room. I didn't even think I would get my own room, let alone one as beautiful as this one. I had expected to sleep in one place with all the other maids. Maybe they all had their own rooms as well, though that sounded very unlikely in my head.

I woke up from my thoughts when someone knocked on the door and entered. It was a woman, probably not that much older than me.

''Good afternoon milady,'' she smiled at me as she closed the door behind her, holding all kinds of things in her arms; fabrics, a rope, pins. I quickly shook my head when she greeted me with the inappropriate title; I was anything but a lady.

''Oh I'm not… I'm just a maid,'' I quickly corrected her. The woman laughed softly as she laid out the things she had brought on the desk in the corner of the room.

''A maid? I hardly think you'll be doing any work here,'' she said, before walking to a door on the other side of the room. Not a maid? If I wasn't here to work, then why the hell _was_ I here? Right before I came here, my mother had told me I was to be a maid at the Mikaelson mansion. Had she been lying? Was that why she got a ridiculous amount of money?

''In here please,'' she said, and I walked towards the door. It lead to a small bathroom, including a bath. I had my own _bathroom_? I was beginning to think this was a dream. Or that I was going to be sleeping here for a couple of days, indulging in luxury, sleeping in silky sheets, taking warm baths, dining with the Lord, before being killed. Like a pig for slaughter.

I did what the maid asked me, and sat in silence as she washed me, dried me off, combed my hair and put me in front of a tall mirror back in the bedroom. I felt a bit uncomfortable, as exposed as I was, even though she was just a woman. Only my mother and sister had seen me fully undressed, but the woman didn't seem to think it was odd at all, which made me feel a little less uneasy. She took my measurements and draped the expensive looking fabric around me, pinning it in place with the small pins, until she seemed pleased with it and took it all off again. She then helped me get into undergarments and a clean dress from the closet in my room. It wasn't exactly my size, but it was definitely better than the old thing I owned.

''Thank you for your patience, milady. I will work on these,'' she said with a warm smile. All I could manage was half a smile in return. I still had no clue what was going on, but I didn't want to ask her about it either. The woman left, and I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked cleaner than I ever had. My dark brown was hair still a little bit wet, draping over my shoulders in waves, my cheeks rosy from the soothing warm bath, my skin smooth and a light cream color now that it had been properly washed, my dress spotless, a soft peach color. Dare I say I looked pretty.

Another knock at my door made me look up and the door opened, this time a man standing in the door opening.

''Milady, dinner is about to be served. If you could follow me?'' he asked, and I almost corrected him too. I wasn't a lady, why did everyone address me as one?

I followed the man downstairs, taking a little more notice of my surroundings. Paintings, statues, even the chandeliers on the walls were a sight. He led me into a room darker than the corridor, with a deep brown wooden floor and furniture. It was the dining room, a long table in the middle of the room, surrounded by chairs. Chairs, some of which were taken. The people who were already sitting at the table looked up as the man and I entered the room, and I suddenly felt more exposed than when I had been standing naked in my room.

''Ah, right on time. Take a seat,'' Niklaus told me, motioning to the empty chair which was a corner seat in between a woman and him at the head of the table. I walked over and sat down, feeling all eyes on me.

''Who's this?'' the woman asked as I sat down, her tone sounding a little surprised.

''This is Nora. Nora, this is Rebekah, Elijah and Kol, my sister and brothers,'' Niklaus told me, gesturing to his sibling as he introduced them to me.

''Nora is my new protégée.''


End file.
